The full details on McNeill's deal

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on October 14, 2010, 2:16 PM EST

Chargers tackle Marcus McNeill has signed a six-year deal with the Chargers. It’s a five-year extension of his one-year restricted free agent tender of $630,000, which has a prorated value of $444,705.

Scant details were available previously. We’ve now obtained comprehensive information regarding the bonuses and guarantees.

The six-year deal has a base value of $48.98 million, which equates to an average of roughly $8.15 million per year. He gets a signing bonus of $1.791 million and his $444,705 salary for the rest of the year.

For 2011, his $10 million base salary is guaranteed for injury only at signing. It becomes guaranteed for injury, skill, and salary cap as of the third day of the 2011 league year.

A 2012 base salary of $10.5 million becomes guaranteed for injury if he’s on the roster as of the third day of the 2011 league year. The money becomes guaranteed for skill, injury, and cap if McNeill is on the roster on the first day of the 2012 league year.

For 2013, McNeill’s base salary is $7.75 million. Of that amount, $1.75 million becomes guaranteed for injury if he’s on the roster on the third day of the 2012 league year.

For 2014, McNeill is due to earn a non-guaranteed base salary of $8.75 million. In 2015, McNeill will earn a non-guaranteed base salary of $9.75 million.

Key points? First, only $11.791 million is guaranteed at the time of signing, and $10 million of the $11.791 million isn’t fully guaranteed.

Second, the fact that the $10 million due in 2011 becomes fully guaranteed and another $10.5 million due in 2012 becomes guaranteed for injury on the third day — not the first day — of the 2011 league year wasn’t an accident or a coincidence. The Chargers can cut McNeill loose after two days of big money has flowed in free agency, avoiding $20.5 million in full and partial guarantees, and strike a more team-friendly deal. They also can sign a replacement for McNeill on one of the first two days of free agency and simply walk away from McNeill altogether, if they so choose.

Third, though it’s being described as a five-year, $48.5 million with $30 million paid in the first three years, year one doesn’t come until 2011. And, as mentioned above, all but the $1.791 million signing bonus can be avoided if the Chargers cut McNeill by the third day of the 2011 league year.

So it’s a good deal, but not a great deal. As guarantees go, it’s actually a lot better than the contract signed earlier this year by Jets tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, even though Ferguson’s annual average is much higher, at $10 million.

VJ and McNeil are not comparable situations. The Chargers were never going to give him a long term deal. It was the organization just being cheap that caused McNeil’s holdout. They could have had this deal done along time ago. Maybe got themselves another win or 2 in the process. VJ has too many issues off the field for the Chargers brass.

# razic says: October 14, 2010 2:35 PM
good for marcus. let this be a lesson to VJ and his agents!
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No real lesson for VJ or his agents to learn here. Completely different situations. The Chargers always intended to extend McNeill. They simply wanted to get one more cheap year out of him before they had to pay him. This way, they get him for less this year, and the can dump him later when the high base-salary, non-guaranteed portion of his contract kicks in. By then, he’ll probably not be as valuable as he is now anyway. In VJ’s case, the Chargers intention was to get as much out of him as they could for another year at a big discount, then let him walk and take the compensatory pick. The Chargers never intended to give him a big extension. This was what VJ was worried about, and his fears were confirmed when they lowered his tender offer. As it stands, VJ will return for the last six games to avoid any chance of ending up a restricted free agent again, but seeing as how the cost of an injury is more severe this season, I’d expect him to take fewer chances going up for a catch. If that’s what happens, I really couldn’t blame VJ for it either. He’ll be playing without a safety net of any kind in those six games, and a serious injury could pose a very real threat to his career. So, the Chargers will get six cheap games out of VJ, but they’ll also be getting a receiver likely to be playing it safer than he normally would be.

Why isn’t his salary higher in an uncapped year, giving them cap relief in following years? Seems like a no-brainer to me. I would’ve given him 15 million this year and much less in following years, laughing all the way to the bank with the cap relief…

The huge detail Florio skipped over
is McNeill’s neck issue. There is a
significant risk of career ending injury
which is why so little of this ($2.235 million)
is actually guaranteed no matter what.
p.s. I’m betting that those who’ve read
just enough to suggest that owners would
welcome a walkout, have never run a business.